Means for mooring airships to mooring masts



Mamba, .1928. 1,663,645

g I i n I v I I I i i INVENTOR 44 M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

PATENT OFF ICE...

WILLIAM AUBERLIN, OF NORTHFIELD, OHIO.

MEANS FOR MOORING AIRSHIPS T9 MOORING MAS'LS.

Application filed August 1, 1927. Serial No. 209,830.

The invention herein described relates to an improved means for mooring an air-ship to a mooring mast.

It is common knowledge that under the prevailing conditions an air-ship cannot be left moored to a mast when a strong w nd or gale is blowing, for fear of great damage being done to the air-ship. When such a condition exists the ship is cut loose from the mooring mast and takes the chanceof successfully riding out the storm, ofttimes it is' necessary to remain in the air hours before the storm abates to permit a safe landing. This is a serious handicap'in the present day operation of lighter than air air-ships not only from the standpoint of absolute destruction of such aship, but also making it impossible to maintain any kind of a schedule if regular trips are contemplated. The ship is subjected too much to the caprices of the wind. The factors that are "responsible for the failure to safely moor a ship to the mooring mast, without having its nose pulled off when subjected to undue stress or pull, is due to its enormous size and that no adequate provisions are provided to make it perfectly safe for an air-ship to ride-out a stormwhen moored to the moorin mast.

The present invention is designed to rem-.

edy these handicaps,'and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of an airship provided with the inve tion. Figs. 2 and 3' are details in section of parts of the device.

The airship is indicated as a whole at 6 and may be of any suitable construction in general. Its frame is provided with a plurality oft'ubes 7, which may be added to the frame or form a part of the longitudinal members thereof, as desired. They are preferably placed an equal distance apart and extend from the nose to the tail of the ship, being curved to agree with the form of the ship. The tubes are open' at both ends, where they are securely fastened together. Extending through each tube is a cable 10 and the tubes act as guides for the cables which'move therein and keep them properly spaced around the ship. At each end of the taining rollers 9 over which the cables to permit free movement thereof.

. on The tubes are preferably provided, es

'pecially at the points of greatest curvature,

with enlarged couplings or casings 8 conpass,

By the means described it is possible to safely moor an air-ship to a mooring mast and let it ride out a gale, the action being as follows. When the ship is moored to, the mast, the cables being fastened to the mooring ring which inturn is.fastencd to the mooring cables, any excessive airpressure exerted on the nose of the air-shipwill cause'a back-- Ward movement of ship and when this happens the slack of the cables will be taken up,

this action-will make the cables grip, the

harder the wind blows the tighter the grip will be. This stress or grip will spread the stress or strain exerted by the wind over the entire frame work structure. It can readily be appreciated that no particular part of the structure will be subjected to any undue stress or strain. I do not limit in self to. any "particular number of tubes an cables, the morethere are used the greater the per centage of safety. On account of the curvatureof the air-ship nose a number of rollers or pulleys are placed in each tube to provide freer movement forthe cables at the-various 9 points. Ropesor chains may be used but are not so reliable or firm'as steel cables.

I claim: 1. An air-ship provided with guides extending from nose to stern, and cables in said guides, said cables being adapted for connection to a mooring mast orthe' like.

"2. An air-ship provided with spaced guides near the surface thereof and extending from nose to stern, and cables extending in said guides from nose to stern and all connected at their ends to mooring devices.

3. An air-ship provided with a plurality' of spaced longitudinally extending tension' devices loosely confined therein and connected at one end to a mooring device.

5. An air-ship provided with a plurality of spaced cables extending from end to end nearthe surface thereof and loosely'confined to permit contraction, said cables being con nected at one end to a mooring device.

In testimony whereof, I do afiix my signal-- ture.

WILLIAM AU BERLIN 

